Princess Eugenie Embraces Scars on Wedding Day

Following the latest Royal Wedding, Life&Style Editor Imogen Lancaster praises Princess Eugenie for not concealing her Scoliosis scar on her big day

As per tradition, when a member of the royal family announces their engagement, the subsequent royal wedding quickly becomes the most anticipated event in the British social calendar. After months of speculation, the big day inevitably attracts a staggering amount of attention from both the public and the media, with it being broadcast live for the nation to eagerly watch. And 2018 did not disappoint on the royal wedding front, with both the union of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in May, and most recently the marriage of Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank in October.

Beyond the nuptials themselves, another very significant topic of conversation arguably takes the centre-stage and attracts considerable attention. That is, unsurprisingly, the dress of the bride, which alongside its designer, remains a well-kept secret until the big reveal. The anticipation for the dress cannot be understated, and nor can the impact it has on influencing the bridal fashion industry. In fact, designers left, right, and centre have been known to work against the clock to make knock-off remakes of both Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle’s wedding dresses following their reveals, highlighting both the popularity of these brides as style icons and the sheer demand to resemble the royals.

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The anticipation for the dress cannot be understated, and nor can the impact it has on influencing the bridal fashion industry

And Princess Eugenie sure enough did not disappoint. Whilst she and her sister, Princess Beatrice, may have a reputation for sporting some daring and somewhat questionable looks in their time, Eugenie looked the epitome of elegance and sophistication on her wedding day. With the traditionally long train, modest long sleeves, full skirt, fitted waist, and broad v neckline (much like that of Cinderella’s), the Peter Pilotto dress was a beautifully flattering fit on Eugenie. Its timeless design had a profoundly princess-like quality (rather fittingly) that was enhanced by her emerald encrusted tiara. Notably, the ivory gown was also decorated with delicate stitching in designs significant to the princess, which of course adds a charming personal touch to the design.

But the feature which caught the most attention, and rightfully so, was the low v-shaped back of her dress. This youthful cut not only shows off a bit of skin (in the classiest of ways), but was a special request of the Princess, who wanted a dress that did not conceal her scar that she obtained from her Scoliosis surgery. Eugenie, who was diagnosed with Scoliosis at age 12, underwent the operation to straighten her spine at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital. Her dress therefore pays tribute to the hospital and her doctor (who was in attendance at the wedding!) and shows that scars really are beautiful and shouldn’t need to be hidden away under our clothes. And with such a well-publicised ceremony, Eugenie clearly bared her scar with pride, setting an example to inspire confidence and acceptance for others with scars. Eugenie’s wedding dress on her monumental day is therefore not only significant personally, but also has great influence on the body positivity movement.

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This youthful cut not only shows off a bit of skin (in the classiest of ways), but was a special request of the Princess, who wanted a dress that did not conceal her scar that she obtained from her Scoliosis surgery

Ahead of her big day, Princess Eugenie spoke of the subject of Scoliosis and raised awareness of its associated charity in an interview on ITV. Eugenie also went on to say "I think you can change the way beauty is, and you can show people your scars and I think it's really special to stand up for that.”

This royal wedding gives us reason to believe that something as simple as a dress has every potential to be meaningful, dramatic, and impactful in all the right ways. And so, whilst we undoubtedly will see an influx of lookalike gowns on the market, we will also hopefully see scars becoming more socially-accepted and appreciated, rather than being seen as an imperfection. Princess Eugenie’s undeniably radiant wedding dress may just be her most remarkable fashion moment to date.